Cigar lighter



P. E. ASHTON June 11, 1940.

CIGAR LIGHTER Original Filed March 25, 1936 4 R Y m m N R r W1. m 1/ mm T W M 7 7 a x M a a w z w a E E W a a a a a a m 2 K 00 a 4 93 m 1 a Q 1 a g Patented June 11, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CIGAR LIGHTER Original application March 25, 1936, Serial No. 70,779, now Patent No. 2,084,966, dated June Divided and this application May 21,1937, Serial N0. 143,924

7 Claims.

This invention relates to what are commonly termed electric lighters, i. e. devices in which a resistance element is brought to incandescence by the passage of an electric current and is especially directed to the so-called cordless type in which the igniter element is carried by a plug or removable member which is detachably mounted upon or in a stationary holder or socket.

This application is a division from my application Serial Number 70,779, filed March 25, 1936, now Patent 2,084,966 dated June 22, 1937, which is a continuation in part of application Serial Number 747,377, filed October 8, 1934, now Patent 2,060,783. These devices are commonly termed cigar lighters but of course they are adapted to light cigarettes or other ignitables when properly designed.

In such. devices of course the circuit is normally open and the igniter" is cold. To energize the igniter element the circuit is closed long enough for the current to raise the igniter to the desired temperature. The igniter member or plug is then removed and used for the desired purpose. Such devices are largely used upon motor vehicles where it is highly desirable to conserve current.

It is also desirable to provide a device which will be inexpensive, easy to operate, and of long life.

I have accordingly provided a device in which the parts are normally held in open circuit relation by a main spring and the circuit is closed in the usual manner, i. e., by simply pressing the plug body fully into the socket. It is then automatically caught by a spring latch with the switch contacts in closed circuit relation. This latch is formed of a bimetallic strip which may be independent of the electric circuit but adapted to be warped or bent by the air heated by the igniter resistance element so that after a predetermined period of time required for properly heating the igniter element the latch will be retracted from the plug body. The plug body and a circuit controlling switch contact carried by it will then be impelled to an open circuit position by the action of the main spring.

Details of one form of the invention will be seen in the drawing and set forth in the following specification.

Fig. 1 is a side view and partial section showing in full lines the plug in the socket and the latch in the .normal or open circuit position and showing the plug body and latch in dash lines in the closed circuit position and also showing the latch in dot-dash lines in a fully retracted position.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view of the L socket or holder on the plane of the line 44 of Fig. 1.

In the drawing the holder is in the form of a cylindrical metallic socket adapted to be secured in any suitable manner to a support such as a panel 8. This socket is usually grounded to one circuit terminal for instance through the panel and car frame so that the socket constitutes one terminal of the device. cuit terminal is connected to the spider-like contact 9 through the medium of the wire tip l and eyelet II. The contact 9 is supported by an electrical insulating disc l2 which is crimped into the bottom of the socket by a bead I3. The sleeve,

The other cir- M is secured to the bottom of the socket and" houses one circuit terminal. The washer l5 reenforces the bottom of the socket. An additional thermal insulating washer 16 for instance of mica may be interposed between the base of the i The contact 9 and the electrical insulator l2. contact 9 is preferably provided with a number of arms or prongs H which are preferably resilient and have inclined tips.

The removable plug member consists of an igniter assembly and an insulating body and a knob and has a spiral resistance coil 20 whose outer end is mechanically and electrically connected to the inner wall of the contact cup 2| and whose inner end is mechanically and electrically connected to a central post or stud 22.

A tubular conductor extension or sleeve 23 is mechanically secured to the cup member and electrically connected to the central post whose end is riveted over. This extension is suitably insulated from the cup member. The contact ring 24 is mounted upon the sleeve 23 and slidable with respect thereto but the inner end of the sleeve is flanged outwardly so as to prevent accidental separation after the parts are once assembled. This resistance coil 20 with the cup member 2|, post 22 and extension 23 and contact ring 24 constitute the igniter assembly.

The insulating body 25 of the plug has a suitable handle or knob 26 which may be integral with it or separately formed as is common. The

conductor ring 24 is secured in the end of the body for instance by screw threaded engagement and may have its periphery knurled as shown in Fig.1 to facilitate turning. A spring 21 is mounted within the insulating body and interposed between the sleeve 23 and a shoulder 28 in the body and so biased that the relatively movable part of the igniter assembly is normally projected its extreme limit from the body portion of the plug.

A thermal insulating washer 29 may be interposed between the spring 21 and the sleeve 23 so as to minimize the destructive effect of the heat and from the igniter coil upon the spring which should be as far as possible from the coil.

A spring abutment contact 30 is carried by the outer wall of the socket in position to be engaged by the contact ring 24 when the plug is thrust fully into the socket. Preferably the plug and socket are cylindrical and the engaging contacts are so formed that the plug can be rotated in the socket. Some form of spring device such as the tongue BI is desirable however to yieldingly engage the plug body 25 and hold the plug in the socket against accidental dislodgment. To energize the igniter it is simply necessary to push in the plug until the contact rim of the cup 2! engages the prongs of the contact 9 and the ring contact or conductor 24 engages the spring abutment 30.

The circuit is then complete through the following elements If], 9, l1, 2|, 20, 22, 23, 24, 30, l, 8. Current is then allowed to flow until the igniter coil 26 is hot enough to light the cigar or other article. The circuit closing action may be effected by a contact carried by the plug, slidably engaging the socket and adapted to make contact with the sleeve inside the plug as shown in Fig. 7 of my Patent 2,060,783.

'To avoid the necessity of holding the spring compressed manually I provide one or more latches 32 generally parallel to the aXis of the plug and socket formed of thermostatic bimetallic metal and adapted to warp when the temperature changes sufiiciently. One end of such latch is secured at 33 to the base of the socket and the other end extends along the outside of the socket and is provided with a hook 34 which is biased at normal temperature to engage in a groove 35 in, the outer wall of the plug body when the body is thrust into the socket its fullest extent. The length of the hook or inwardly extending portion is shown on the drawing as being less than say about twenty percent (20%) of the free forward length of the latch.

The abutment wall of this groove may be suitably reenforced or hardened if desired to prolong its life. This latch is mounted upon the outside of the socket where it is readily accessible and where it may be bent for adjustment and :easily removed and replaced.

The socket is provided with an opening 36 where hot air rising from the igniter coil will quickly aifect the thermostatic latch to retract its tip iron the groove in the plug and allow the spring impel plug body with the contact ring 24 into the open circuit position. The spring 30 also assists in moving the plug body 25 and contact ring 24 in this circuit opening movement. The socket preferably also has one or more openings 37 at or near the bottom to allow for the escape of ashes and the better circulation of air.

If desired I may also provide one or more passages 40 through the bottom of the cup 2! and the bottom of the sleeve 23 and through the insulating washers so that the incandescence of the coil 29 may be detected through the hollow plug and its window or translucent part 4|.

By placing the latch outside of the socket it will cool oil? quickly when the plug is removed, thus quickly restoring it to its ready position.

As the thermostatic latch is not connected in the electric circuit it does not consume any current. It is also possible by such an arrangement to provide a most efiective latch action.

In the form of socket terminal shown in Fig. 3 a metallic washer 42 is employed with insulating washers 43, 44, for instance of mica for supporting the center contact within the socket. It is to be understood that other variations may be made within the scope of the claims.

The outer end of the latch 34 is beveled or rounded off somewhat so as to facilitate the insertion of the plug in the socket. From the foregoing it will be seen that the construction is such that the lighter may be used effectively in the usual non-automatic release manner in case the thermostatic latch is removed or disabled.

I claim:

1. In a cigar lighter of the type comprising plug anc socket members, an igniter and rim carried by one of them, a fixed abutment contact carried by the socket and against which the igniter rim may engage, the igniter carrying member being slidably removable relatively to the socket member, a spring carried by the removable plug member and cooperating with the igniter rim and abutment contact on the one hand and with the body of said removable plug member on the other hand, the socket member being nonremovable and supporting the removable member, an additional contact on each of the removable and supporting members, said contacts on each member engaging the contacts on the other member when said spring is compressed, said spring being capable of sliding said insulating plug body and its contact upon release thereof to open the igniter circuit, the improvement which includes the additional contact on the supporting member being yieldable whereby the removable member may be manually held in circuit closing position while the insulating plug body has a limited sliding movement on the supporting member, said additional and yieldable contact being non-integral or separately formed and secured to the socket in a different plane at an angle to that from which it engages said additional contact on the removable. member.

2. In a cigar lighter of the type including a supporting socket with contacts and a removable member comprising an insulating plug carrying cooperating contacts. an igniter on the inner end of the plug, a spring carried by the plug and adapted to open the circuit through the contacts and slide the body of said insulating plug outward on release thereof, the improvement which comprises a bimetallic latch holding said spring compressed and the contacts closed, said latch being arranged longitudinally of the socket on an upper rear portion thereof and outside said socket where it will not impede closing of the circuit, said insulating plug having a ,notch on the outside thereof adapted to be engaged by said latch.

3. In cigar lighter of the type having astationary socket member and a completely removable member comprising an insulating plug body adapted to be supported by said socket, an igniter including a heating element, contacts on each member for cooperation with contacts on the other member, a spring carried by the removable member and stressable on inward movement of said insulating plug bodyand adapted to slide said insulating plug body outward on release thereof to open a circuit through said igniter, said spring reacting against a part of each of said members in opening said circuit, the improvement which comprises a bimetallic latch carried by the rear portion of said socket member and adapted to engage a reduced diameter portion in the removable member in front of the rear face of said igniter, said latch extending longitudinally of said spring axis and through the plane of the rear end of said igniter whereby said latch may receive heat from the igniter and release said removable member, one of the contacts of the removable member being a rim around the igniter, the other contact of the removable member being a ring in front of the igniter and electrically connected in series with said rim through said heating element and rigidly secured to said insulating plug body, one of the stationary member contacts being yieldably adapted for engagement with said contact ring in advance of the engagement of said latch whereby said insulating plug body may be moved inward of its normal open circuit carrying position to close said circuit in advance of the engagement of said latch with said reduced diameter portion.

4. In a cigar lighter of the type having a supporting socket, contacts therein, a removable member having an insulating plug body, an igniter, and contacts to cooperate with the socket contacts, a spring carried by the removable memher for longitudinally sliding said insulating plug body and opening a circuit through at least two of the four mentioned contacts, one of the contacts of the removable member engaging its cooperative socket contact as an abutment against which said spring may act in sliding said plug and moving the plug body contacts relative to each other, one of the plug contacts being constituted by a metal rim around the igniter, the other plug contact being a ring in front of the igniter and electrically in series with said rim through the igniter, a socket contact which cooperates with the igniter rim being located in the base of the socket, and the other socket contact extending from the socket shell radially inward to engage the rear face of the second mentioned plug contact or ring, said other and inwardly extending socket contact and said second mentioned plug contact or ring together constituting the contacts of a switch at least one contact of which is yieldable.

5. A cigar lighter comprising a socket having a contact means adjacent the base thereof, a plug having an insulating body for reception in said socket, a heater unit carried by said plug and including a contact rim around the heater for cooperation with said contact means in the socket, a contact portion carried by the plug in front of, relatively slidable with respect to and connected to the radially inner end of said heater unit, a handle portion movable inwardly and outwardly with said contact portion, a spring cooperating with said heater unit and with said contact portion and adapted upon release of compression to shift said contact portion and handle portion outwardly as the heater rim is held against said contact means adjacent the base of the socket, and means for thermostatically latching said contact portion and handle with the spring under compression for completing a circuit through said heater, said thermostatic latching means being heated at least to a substantial extent in response to an increase in temperature of the heater and adapted when heated to a predetermined amount to flex, releasing said spring and handle to open the heater circuit at said contact portion, said circuit being made and broken through switch parts at least one of which is yieldable to maintain the circuit closed during slight longitudinal movement of said handle and contact portion, said yieldable switch part being located within a projection of the outer cylindrical surface of the plug and located behind the rear portion of the insulating body part of said plug.

6. A cigar lighter comprising a socket, a con tact adjacent the base thereof, another socket contact insulated from the first, a plug carried in said socket and comprising a handle carried by the plug, a heating unit on the inner end of said plug and including a rim around a resistance wire, said heater rim being normally in engagement with the first mentioned socket contact while the plug is in the socket regardless of whether or not the heater is operative, a circuit from the radially 'inner end of said resistance wire through the second mentioned socket con tact, said circuit containing a contact which is yieldable, a spring located inside and adjacent a circumarnbient plug wall and cooperating with said first mentioned socket contact as an abutment against which the spring may be compressed on inward movement of said handle, said yieldable contact being closed for operation of said heater on compression of said spring, a pair of generally cylindrical guide surfaces for directing relative movement between said handle and heating unit, said guide surfaces being radially within at least a portion of the plug wall and at least in part longitudinally intermediate the ends of said plug, and a thermostatic latch for retaining said spring compressed, said latch being radially on at least one side of said spring, said latch being at least in part heated by convection from said resistance wire and adapted when heated to flex, releasing said spring and handle and longitudinally separating said yieldable contact from a cooperative contact for opening the heater circuit, said latch extending at least in part longitudinally and having a portion for engagement in a substantially circular groove within a portion of said plug.

7. A cigar lighter comprising a socket having contacts, a plug for reception in said socket and having contacts adapted for cooperation with the socket contacts, a heating unit carried by the rear end portion of said plug and through which current is passed from said contacts, a spring cooperating with said socket and at least one of the plug contacts for longitudinally moving said plug contact outwardly upon release of pressure on said spring, and a bimetallic latch secured to the base portion of said socket the active part of the bimetallic latch being substantially parallel to the axis of said plug and socket for the greater part of their length and having a radially inwardly extending portion of not more than about twenty percent (20%) of the free forward length of said latch engaging a peripheral groove in a portion of said plug for holding said spring compressed and adapted upon heating to flex, releasing said spring and opening a circuit through said heating unit.

PHILIP E. ASHTON. 

